Merchandise display card and clip therefor



C. F. HUTCHEON MERCHANDISE DISPLAY CARD AND CLIP THEREFOR Sept. 27, 1966Filed 001;. 5. 1965 FIG. 5

1M "(E "Kc In, HALSYI cvuwnanny FIG.

INVENTUR CHARLES F. l/UTCHEO/V A T TORNEK United States Patent Ofiice3,275,274 Patented Sept. 27, 1966 3,275,274 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY CARD ANDCLIP THEREFOR Charles F. Hutcheon, 192 Shepherd Lane, Roslyn Heights,N.Y.

Filed Oct. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 493,200 14 Claims. (Cl. 248309) Thisinvention relates to means for supporting an article to be displayed andmore particularly to both an improved clip member and to the combinationof an improved clip member and an article supporting member.

A major difficulty in the present use of resilient clip members toretain a piece of merchandise on a display card is that the slot inwhich the clip ends are disposed is not uniformly produced. Steel ruledies are usually used in die cutting the slot in such cards. When amultiple die is used, the several slots so produced frequently havedifferent width dimensions. Even a small difference in the Width of theslot tends to make the clip fit loosely enough so that the inherentresiliency of the clip cannot be fully utilized. Therefore, themerchandise will not be securely retained.

In the present invention, an improved merchandise display card isprovided because differences in the slot dimensions between cards arecompensated for by means of at least one extra convolution provided onthe article gripping portion of a resilient clip. The extra springaction obtained by the additional material assures easier packaging ofthe item and, more importantly, provides a positive grip regardless ofthe inevitable dimensional variations in the width of the slot.

The improved clip, which may be extruded from a thermoplastic such ascellulose acetate, polypropylene, cellulose aceto-butyrate, etc., has afirst article-gripping portion which substantially conforms in shape tothe article itself. A second card-gripping portion is comprised of apair of members arranged to grip the sides of the slot and also tooverlay the rear surface of the card. At least one pair of angular orbent legs, which provides a small additional length of material, isintegrally formed with the article gripping portion. The inclusion ofthe angular legs permits the slot-gripping portion to yield slightlywith respect to the article-holding portion. The configuration of thelegs, in one embodiment at least, also assures that the article isfirmly seated on the card without misalignment.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved resilient clip for releasably retaining an article supportingmember.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved article displaycard.

It is another object to provide a clip having increased holding ability.

A further object is to provide an improved clip of the aforementionedtype having means for compensating for variations in slot width.

It is an additional object to provide a clip member having at least oneadditional expandable length of material arranged to compensate forvariations in the width of the slot in the article supporting member.

An additional object is to provide an improved resilient clip thatstraddles both surfaces of the card and which additionally grips theedges of the card slot.

Yet another object is to provide an improved cl-ip having at least oneflat portion arranged to seat squarely on the card surface.

It is another object to provide a resilient clip having anarticle-gripping portion conforming in shape to the shape of thearticle.

Still another object is to provide a clip as aforementioned that isunobtrusive and which does not detract from the merchandise.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will,in part, be pointed out with particularity and will, in part, becomeobvious from the following more detailed description of the inventiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which forms anintegral part thereof.

In the various figures of the drawing, like reference charactersdesignate like parts.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a merchandise display card andarticle and a clip holding the article to the card;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the combination shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken along line 3-3 of P162;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the improved cli comprising the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front ,elevational view of an alternativeembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, sectional plan view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.5.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 in the first embodiment of the presentinvention, a display card 10 having the usual advertising informationimprinted thereon is shown with the article 12 secured to the front facethereof by means of clip 14. A first oif-center aperture 16 is providedtowards the top of the card so that several of the cards may be hung anddisplayed on a hook. Preferably, the aperture 16 is placed at thecenter-of-gravity of the loaded card. A second aperture 18 receives theends of the clip.

The construction of the clip, which advantageously is a clear, extrudedplastic, is best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. A circular portion 20conforming, in the particular embodiment illustrated, to the shape andsize of the article being displayed, covers an arc of approximately 300degrees. Legs 22 depend outwardly from the ends of the arc in a planesubstantially perpendicular to the plane of the card and terminate in apair of members 24 adapted to grip the wall of the slot in the card.Stated another way, legs '22 are, in the embodiment illustrated,perpendicular to a theoretical chordal line of the circulararticleholding member or body portion 20. A concave portion 25 of thegripping members, which may be arcuate, engages the side walls of slot18 while a first flat section 26, which is substantially at right anglesto legs 22, overlays the front face of the card. The opposite end of thearcuate portion 25 is in the form of a flange 28 which overlays the rearface of the card.

The space d (FIG. 4) between opposed arcuate portions 25 is dimensionedsuch that it is slightly smaller than the width of the slot in the card,taking into account normal tolerances and errors in the steel rulecutting die. To assemble the clip, the legs 22 are forced towards eachother and the flanges 28 slipped into the slot so that they overlay therearward face of the card with the edges of the slot disposed in thearcuate portions 25. The inherent resiliency of the clip material willcause legs 22 to separate until the arcuate portions 25 engage the sidewalls of the slot. With the :article placed in the circular body portion20 of the clip and tangentially touching the card, a frictional fitbetween the merchandise and the clip and between the clip and the cardis provided.

As may best be seen on a greatly enlarged scale in FIG. 3, a pair oftriangular areas are defined by each leg 22, leg 26, and a theoreticalline tangential to the article. The angularly disposed legs, which actas a gusset, are integral with the body portion of the clip and providea small addition-a1 length of resilient material. The term gusset asused herein defines an expandable member. Because of the angularrelationship of the two legs and the article, the triangular area mayflatten out and in effect, stretch, or it may develop a shorter base(the theoretical tangent line) and, in effect, contract, depending uponthe width dimension of the slot. Thus, 'while the article is firmly heldby the arcuate portion of the clip, the variable area of the triangularmembers will change in accordance with the width dimension of the slot.

While two gussets are shown unobtrusively positioned behind the article,it should be clearly understood that this is primarily for purposes ofillustration. It is also within the scope of the present invention toprovide a single gusset. Where appearance is not a primary consideration, the gusset may be placed almost anywhere on thearticle-holding portion including the front-facing surface thereof. Itwill be similarly understood that while the legs of the gusset are shownat right angles to each other, the invention is not necessarily limitedto this configuration since other angles could be provided and, in fact,the gusset could be arcuate.

It should be noted that first section 26 overlays the front face of thecard. This provides an improved, more attractive display card becausethe merchandise cannot be twisted or skewed. A degree of gripping actionis also provided by the action of members26 and 28 against the cardtherebetween.

While the article-gripping portion of the clip has been shown to be aportion of a circle, it is to be understood that this showing is forillustrative purposes only. Portion 20 would of course be shaped anddimensioned to conform to whatever article is being displayed.

FIG. 5 and FIG 6 illustrate an alternative form of the presentinvention. Therein the article supporting member 30 is provided with arecess 32 to receive, for example, a pen 34. Slot 36 extendssubstantially fully across the the recess and accommodates the slot wallgripping portions 38 of cl-ip member 40. Flanges 42 extending fromportions 40 are disposed behind member 30'. FIG. 6 clearly shows asingle triangular area 44 defined by a theoretical line tangential tothe periphery of the pen and legs 46 and 48 integral with the articlegripping portion of the clip. Only one gusset, defined by legs 46 and48, is shown in this embodiment, although it is apparent that two ormore gussets could also be included if the need arises.

The present invention affords a very low cost and efiicient clip memberthat may be extruded from an attractive plastic material. Increasedholding power is presented so that the effect of the advertising messageon the card is not diminished. Of particular importance is the fact thatthe clip portion of the present invention compensates for variation inthe slot dimension resulting from normal manufacturing processes, suchas the tolerance between the various sections of a multiple steel rulecutting die.

It is to be noted that by the use of the improved clip member disclosedhereinabove, an improved and more attractive display card is provided.Thus the combination of a display card and an improved clip member foran article of merchandise forms a part of the present invention.

It is to be further noted that the reference to a merchandise displaycard is not intended to limit the invention thereto. The improved clipmay readily be used on and in combination with almost any slottedmerchandise display surface such as a wallboard, grill, etc. The clipmay also be used on and in combination with a slotted display surfacehaving a recess conforming at least partially to the general shape ofthe article.

There has been disclose-d heretofore the best embodiments of theinvention presently contemplated and it is to be understood that variouschanges and modifications 4 may be made by those skilled in the arewithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved resilient clip for holding an article on a slottedsupport member, said clip comprising:

(A) an article-holding member including a body por tion sized and shapedto closely envelop at least a portion of an article, said body portionhaving first and second ends and a longitudinal axis;

(B) a gripping portion integral with each of said body portion ends; and

(C) at least one expandable gusset integral with sai body portionintermediate the ends thereof and extending substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of said body portion.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein a gusset is includedintegral with each end of said body portion.

3. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body portion issubstantially circular and covers an arc of approximately 300 degrees.

4. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said gusset iscomprised of a pair of elongated surfaces joined to each other along acommon edge to thereby define a hinge.

5. An improved article support comprising, in combination:

(I) an article support member having a slot formed therein; and

(II) a resilient clip having a portion thereof removably positioned inthe slot of said support member, said clip comprising:

(A) an article-holding member including a body portion sized and shapedto closely envelop at least a portion of an article, said body portionhaving first and second ends and a longitudinal axis;

(B) a gripping portion integral with each of said body portion ends; and

(C) at least one expandable gusset integral with said body portionintermediate the ends thereof and extending substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of said body portion.

6. The device in accordance with claim 5 wherein a gusset is includedintegral with each end of said body portion.

7. The device in accordance with claim 5 wherein said body portion issubstantially circular and covers an arc of approximately 300 degrees.

8. The device in accordance with claim 5 wherein said gusset iscomprised of a pair of elongated surfaces joined to each other along acommon edge to thereby define a hinge.

9. An improved resilient clip for holding an article on a slottedarticle support member, said clip comprising:

(A) an article-holding portion having first and second ends, saidholding portion being sized and shaped to closely envelop at least aportion of an article to be displayed;

(B) a leg member extending from each of said first and second ends .ofsaid holding portion; and

(C) a gripping portion integral with each of said leg members, saidgripping portions each comprising:

(a) a first section integral with each of said leg members, said firstsections, in the assembled condition, adapted to be disposed inoverlaying relationship on the front surface of an article supportmember, said first section, said leg memher and a theoretical linesubstantially tangential to an article defining, in combination, atriangular area having a variable length base,

(b) an arcuate portion integral with each of said first sections, saidarcuate portions being spaced from each other and disposed in oppositelyfacing directions whereby, in the assembled condition, said arcuateportions are urged against two opposed slot walls, and

(c) a second section integral with each of said arcuate portions, saidsecond sections, in the assembled condition, being disposed behind thesupport member in overlaying relationship to the rear surface thereof.

10. The device in accordance with claim 9 wherein said holding portionis substantially circular and covers an arc of approximately 300degrees.

11. The device in accordance with claim 9 wherein said leg members aresubstantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the plane ofthe article support member surface in the assembled condition.

12. An improved article display comprising, in combination:

(I) an article support member having a slot formed therein; and

(II) a resilient clip having a portion thereof removably positioned inthe slot of said article support member, said clip comprising:

(A) an article-holding portion having first and second ends, saidholding portion being sized and shaped to closely envelop at least aportion of an article to be displayed;

(B) a leg member extending from each of said first and second ends ofsaid holding portion; and

(C) a gripping portion integral with each of said leg members, saidgripping portions each comprising:

(a) a first section integral with each of said leg members, said firstsections, in the assembled condition, adapted to be disposed inoverlaying relationship on the front surface of said support member,said first section, said leg member and a theoretical line tangential toan article defining, in combination, a triangular area having a variablelength base,

(b) an arcu-ate portion integral with each of said first sections, saidarcuate portions being spaced from each other and disposed in oppositelyfacing directions whereby, in the assembled condition, said arcuateportions are urged against two opposed slot walls in said supportmember, and

(c) a second section integral with each of said arcuate portions, saidsecond sections, in the assembled condition, being disposed behind saidsupport member in overlaying relationship to the rear sunface thereof.

13. The device in accordance with claim 12 wherein said holding portionis substantially circular and covers an arc of approximately 300degrees.

14. The device in accordance with claim 12 wherein said leg members aresubstantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the plane ofsaid support member surface in the assembled condition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,787,734 1/ 1931Rowling 248-74 2,366,456 1/ 1945 Pheazey 24-73 2,541,828 2/1951 Peck248--361 2,840,629 6/1958 Roth et al 174- 2,885,460 5/1959 Borresen eta1 174-70 FOREIGN PATENTS 653,589 12/1962 Canada.

689,099 6/1964 Canada.

485,462 5/ 1938 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

1. AN IMPROVED RESILIENT CLIP FOR HOLDING A ARTICLE ON A SLOTTED SUPPORTMEMBER, SAID CLIP COMPRISING: (A) AN ARTICLE-HOLDING MEMBER INCLUDING ABODY PORTION SIZED AND SHAPED TO CLOSELY ENVELOPE AT LEAST A PORTION OFAN ARTICLE, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS AND ALONGITUDINAL AXIS; (B) A GRIPPING PORTION INTEGRAL WITH EACH OF SAIDBODY PORTION ENDS; AND (C) AT LEAST ONE EXPANDABLE GUSSET INTEGRAL WITHSAID BODY PORTION INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF AND EXTENDINGSUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BODY PORTION.